‘You raise in me,’ said I to him, ‘a great Curiosity to know more; and therefore I must beg your Favour to satisfie it.’ ‘You may command any thing of me,’ replied he, ‘Madam; but I am not so thoroughly inform’d of his Adventures, to undertake the relating them to you; and I believe ’twere better I engage him into a Recital of them himself.’ He left me, and went immediately to Embrace him, with the greatest Civilities and Tenderness: Don Frederic de Cardonne, and Don Esteve de Carvajal, had already accosted him, as their old Acquaintance; and when Don Fernand had joyn’d them, they all earnestly intreated him to come with them when Mass was over. He as earnestly excused himself; but being told, I was a Stranger, and much importuned, that I might learn from himself, what had oblig’d him to turn Hermit; he at length consented, on condition I would permit him to bring one of his Friends, who was perfectly knowing in what related to him: ‘Do us Justice,’ continued he, ‘and judge whether ’tis fit for me to relate such Particularities in this Habit I wear.’ They found he had Reason, and pray’d him to bring his Friend, which he did a while after I was at my Lodgings: He presented a very fine Cavalier to me; and taking leave of us very civilly, he told him, ‘He should be oblig’d to him, if he would satisfie the Curiosity which Don Fernand de Toledo had giv’n me, of knowing the Spring of his Misfortunes.’ This Gentleman took place by me, and began in these Terms:
‘I think myself very Happy, Madam, that my Friend has chosen me to satisfie the Desire you have of knowing his Adventures; but I fear I shall not acquit myself so well as I would: The Person whose History you wou’d learn, has been one of the finest Gentlemen in the World; it would be hard to make a Judgment of him now; he is buried, as it were in his Hermit’s Habit. He was an exceeding graceful Person, well shaped, of an excellent Meine, and Noble Air: And in fine, had all the Accomplishments, both Natural and Acquired, of a Person of Quality, being liberal, witty and brave. He was born at Cagliari, Capital of the Isle of Sardogne, one of the most illustrious and richest Families of all that Country.
‘He was brought up with one of his Cousin-Germans; and the sympathy which was found in their Humours, and Inclinations, was so great, that they were more strictly united by Friendship than Blood: they had no Secret from each other. And when the Marquess Barbaran was married (which was his Cousin’s Name,) their Friendship continued in the same force.
‘He married one of the finest Women in the World, and the most Accomplisht; she was then not above Fourteen: She was Heiress to a very Noble Estate and Family. The Marquess every day discovered new Charms in the Wit and Person of his Wife, which likewise increased every day his Passion. He speaks without ceasing, of his Happiness, to Don Lewis de Barbaran; which is the Name, Madam, of my Friend; and when any Affairs oblig’d the Marquess to leave her, he conjured him to stay with the Marchioness, thereby to lessen the Trouble of his Absence. But alas! how hard is it when one is at an Age uncapable of serious Reflections, to see continually so fine a Woman, so young and aimable; and to see her with Indifference! Don Lewis was already desperately in Love with the Marchioness, and thought then ’twas only for her Husband’s sake: Whilst he was in this Mistake, she fell dangerously sick; at which he grew so dreadful melancholly, that he then knew, but too late, this was caus’d by a Passion which would prove the greatest Misfortune of his whole Life. Finding himself then in this condition, and having not strength to resist it, he resolv’d to use the utmost Extremity, and to fly and avoid a place where he was in danger of dying with Love, or breaking through the Bonds of Friendship. The most cruel Death wou’d have seem gentler than the Execution of this Design: When the Marchioness beginning to grow better, he went to her to bid her Adieu, and see her no more.
‘He found her busied in choosing among several Stones of great price, those which were the finest, which she intended to have set in a Ring, Don Lewis was scarce entred the Chamber, but she desired him, with that Air of Familiarity usual among Relations, to go and fetch her other Stones which she moreover had in her Cabinet. He ran thither, and by an unexpected good hap, found among what he lookt for, the Picture enamell’d of the Marchioness, in little, set with Diamonds, and incircled with a Lock of her Hair; it was so like, that he had not the power to withstand the desire he had of stealing it: “I am going to leave her,” said he, “I shall see her no more; I sacrifice all my quiet to her Husband: Alas! is not this enough? And may I not without a Crime, search in my Pain a Consolation so innocent as this.” He kist several times this Picture; he put it under his Arm, he carefully hid it, and returning towards her with these Stones, he tremblingly told her the Resolution he had taken of Travelling. She appear’d much amazed at it, and chang’d her colour. He lookt on her at this moment; he had the pleasure of perceiving it; and their Eyes being of Intelligence, spake more than their Words: “Alas! What can oblige you, Don Lewis,” said she to him, “to leave us? Your Cousin loves you so tenderly; I esteem you; we are never pleas’d without you; he cannot live from you: Have you not already travelled? You have without doubt some other Reason for your Departure, but at least do not hide it from me.” Don Lewis, pierc’d through with sorrow, could not forbear uttering a deep Sigh, and taking one of the delicate Hands of the Charming Person, on which he fixt his Mouth, “Ah, Madam, What do you ask me?” said he to her, “What would you have me say to you? And indeed, What can I say to you, in the Condition I am in?” The Violence he used, to conceal his Sentiments, caus’d him such a great Weakness, that he fell half dead at her Feet. She remained troubled and confused at this sight: She oblig’d him to sit down by her; she dared not lift up her Eyes to look on him; but she let him see Tears, which she could not forbear shedding, nor resolve to conceal from him.
‘Scarcely were they come to themselves, when the Marquess entred into the Chamber. He came to embrace Don Lewis with all the Testimonies of a perfect Friendship, and he was in the greatest trouble, when he understood he parted for Naples. He omitted no Arguments to perswade him from it, prest his stay with the greatest Earnestness, but all in vain. He there immediately took his leave of the Marchioness, and saw her no more. The Marquess went out with him, he left him not till the moment of his Departure. This was an Augmentation of Don Lewis’s Sorrow; he would have willingly remained alone to have an intire Liberty of afflicting himself.
‘The Marchioness was sensibly afflicted at this Separation: She had perceived he loved her, before he had known thus much himself; and she had found in him such singular Merit, that for her part too she had loved him without knowing it; but she found this to her Cost after his Departure: Recovering but lately from a dangerous Sickness, of which she was not perfectly cured, this unhappy Accident made her fall into a languishing Indisposition, as soon rendred her quite another body; her Duty, her Reason, her Vertue equally persecuted her: She was greatly sensible of her Husband’s Respects to her, and she could not suffer but with great Sorrow, that another should take up her Thoughts, and have so great a place in her Affections. She dared not any more mention the Name of Don Lewis; she never made any Enquiries after him; she made it an indispensable Duty to forget him: This Violence which she used on herself, was like a continual Martyrdom; she made one of her Women, In whom she most confided, the Repository of this Secret: “Am I not very unhappy?” said she, “I must wish never again to see a Man, towards whom it is impossible for me to be in a state of Indifference; his Person is always before mine Eyes; nay, I think sometimes I see him in the Person of my Husband; the Resemblance which is between them, serves only to nourish my Affection towards him. Alas! Mariana, I must die, to expiate this Crime, although it be an involuntary one; I have only this means to get rid of a Passion of which I cannot hitherto be Mistress: Alas, what have I not done to stifle it, this Passion which yet is dear to me.” She accompany’d these Words with a thousand Sighs: She melted into Tears; and though this Woman had had a great deal of Wit and Affection to her Mistress, yet she could say nothing to her could yield her any Comfort.
‘The Marquess in the mean time, every day reproacht his Wife with her Indifferency to Don Lewis: “I cannot suffer,” said he to her, “that you should think so little on the Man I love above all the World, and who had so much Complaisance and Friendship for you: I must needs say, this is a kind of Hardness, which would make one judge untowardly of the Tenderness of your Heart: At least, you must grant, Madam, that he was scarcely gone, but you forgot him.” “What good would my remembring him do him?” said the Marchioness with a languishing Air, “Do not you see he avoids us? Would he not have been still with us, if he had any real Kindness for us? Believe me, my Lord, he deserves a little that we should forsake him in our turn.” Whatever she could say, repel’d not the Marquess; he still importun’d her to write to Don Lewis to Return. One Day among the rest, she was gotten into his Closet to speak to him about some Affairs; she found him busied in reading a Letter of D. Lewis, which he lately receiv’d.
‘She would have retir’d; but he took this opportunity to oblige her to do what he would have her; he told her very seriously, “That he could no longer bear the Absence of his Cousin; that he was resolv’d to go find him; that ’twas already two Years since he had been gone, without intimating any desire of returning to his Friends and Country; that he was perswaded he would yield a greater Deference to her Requests than his; that he conjured her to write to him: And that in fine, she might chuse either to give him this Satisfaction, or be content to see him part for Naples, where Don Lewis was to make some stay.” She remain’d surpriz’d, and perplext at this Proposal; but knowing he expected with great Impatience her Determination, “What would you have me say to him, my Lord?” said she to him with a sorrowful Countenance, “Dictate this Letter to me, I will write it; I can do no more; and I believe this is more than I ought.” The Marquess, transported with Joy, most affectionately embrac’d her; he thank’d her for her Compliance, and made her write these Words:
“If you have any Kindness for us, defer not your Return; I have very urgent Reasons to desire it. I am not a little concern’d that you shew such Indifference towards us, which is an unquestionable Indication that you take no Delight in our Company. Return, Don Lewis, I earnestly wish it; I intreat you: And if it were fit for me to use more urgent Terms, I would say, perhaps, I Command you to do it.”